Russia’s Northern Fleet to get new submarines

The Russian Northern Fleet will get some new underwater cruisers, logistics vessels and military hardware this year, Fleet Commander Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov said on Wednesday, Trend reports referring to TASS.

“In 2019, we are expecting the arrival of new logistics vessels and submarines,” Yevmenov said.

Specifically, the Northern Fleet is expecting the arrival of several logistics vessels, including the tanker Academic Pashin. The tanker is completing its trials in the Baltic Sea and will soon make a passage to join the Northern Fleet, the admiral said.

The Northern Fleet’s submarine force will soon get new warships of the modernized Borei and Yasen class that are currently undergoing trials in the White Sea. These are the strategic underwater cruiser Knyaz Vladimir (Prince Vladimir) and the multipurpose submarine Kazan, he said.

The Fleet’s coastal defense missile and artillery forces will get several more new Bastion and Bal systems. A battalion of a separate motor rifle brigade is already learning to operate the Arctic version of the Tor-M2 surface-to-air missile system. After the live-fire tests at a southern practice range, these missile systems will arrive together with the trained personnel at the place of their formation’s permanent deployment.

“This year, we are also planning to complete rearming tank units of the separate motor rifle brigade with the T-80BVM armored vehicles that are most of all suited for the Arctic,” the Fleet commander said.

The Northern Fleet was in the process of its rearmament in 2018 as well, the admiral said.

“In 2018, principally new hardware that had not been operational in the Russian Armed Forces before arrived for the Fleet,” the commander noted.

This relates to the icebreaker Ilya Muromets, the first unique vessel designated for all-embracing operations in the Arctic. The Fleet also received the multifunctional logistic support vessel Elbrus and two warships: the frigate Admiral Gorshkov and the large amphibious assault ship Ivan Gren.